Strawberry Genius
by Monstrel45
Summary: A month after her mother's death, a young Ichigo dies under mysterious settings, leaving behind a devastated family. Soon afterwards, she's found and recruited by the Shinigami into their ranks, as she tries to deal with her scattered past memories. When chaos strikes during an attack on the Seireitei, what's she to think when things take a turn for the suspicious? Smart Fem!Ichigo
1. Episode 1: To be a Shinigami

_**Hey guys. Ok, so I was working on the next chapters for Shingeki no RWBY and Bleach Retold, which would've been done by now if I hadn't hit a writers block for each of them and had to go to work 5 days a week, so I had to put them on hold for a bit. While thinking of ways to use my ideas for my stories in a good way, this kinda popped into my head. Hope you guys enjoy the story!**_

_**Inspired by Pokepika's Haunt's Shinigami Death.**_

* * *

**Episode 1 - To be a Shinigami.**

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_(District 1 of West Rukongai: Junrinan…)_

:D

The autumn sun was warm to the skin as the small village bustled with the noise of a busy day.

As a soft breeze danced across the streets, a small girl, no older than nine at most, sat on the low branch of a weeping willow on top of a hill, her little legs swinging carelessly in the wind as she observed the whole world go by with bored, sea-blue eyes; short, unruly, orange hair that fell to the base of her neck in the back and past her shoulders in the front getting pulled and nipped at by the passing breeze before they finally died down. Coiled around her tiny body was a thick brown belt that held a katana tightly on her back. Expression unchanging as ever, the girl raised her hand up to her face, staring at it in false curiosity before allowing the peach limb to fall limply into her lap again, the soft cloth of her dark gray Yukata resulting in her vacant, unexpressive gaze dropping down to stare at it instead.

"_This place is so boring_…" she gave a small frown at the town of Junrinan below her.

"Oi!" the girl looked up in barely noticeable surprise at the voice, having not expected for somebody to call out to her. Her eyes landed on the form of a girl with rich brown hair in high pigtails and wide, green doe-eyes; a wide, friendly smile on the girl's face as she waved at her. The 9-year old stared for a moment, hand lifting up in a slow wave as she watched the girl run up to her, almost tripping over her own two feet twice, before she finally reached the base of the giant tree.

"Oi, Oi, Oi! I couldn't help but notice that you were all by yourself." At the statement, the 9-year old couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why such a thing was so important to her that it garnered the attention of a person she had never met before.

"My name's Mariko Cherri. What's yours?" the brunette girl asked; the bright smile still on her face as she stared up at her hopefully. The girl stared at her for a moment before finally to answer.

:D

"Kurosaki… Ichigo" she stated in return, staring in puzzlement. The girl's smile seemed to grow even further in size if possible at the new information, looking almost proud of herself that she had gotten an answer, as if it were some sort of amazing feat that no other could even hope to accomplish.

"Nice to meet you Ichigo-chan!" the girl said, taking a step back to bow in greeting before immediately righting herself just as quickly. She was about to say something else when a voice, this one definitely male in origin, called out the brown-haired girl's name.

"Mariko!" Ichigo looked up, head tilting at the sight of a couple of boys and one other girl running up to them. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Hey Toho-kun, Mira-chan, Yuse-kun!" Mariko greeted, turning to smile at the two boys and girl, obviously her friends. "I was just talking to Ichigo-san here."

"Who?" the boy standing to the left with brown hair asked as he stared at the girl as if she had grown a second head, not seeing anybody else here besides them. "Wait. Don't tell me you actually named the tree."

At the accusation, Kisehana hmphed in indignation, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned away with cheeks puffed out in a textbook perfect pout that made Ichigo think of chipmunks more than anything else.

"No! Ichigo-chan!" she said, jabbing a finger up to the low tree branch and subsequently where Ichigo was sitting, in which she raised her hand and gave a 'What's 'Sup' greeting with her trademark scowl. Following the thin limb up, the whole groups' eyes widened in fear as they seemed to recognize her from somewhere, though Ichigo hadn't faintest idea where they might have.

D:

"Mariko" one of the boys began, tone warning as he slowly edged toward the other girl.

"What is it Toho-kun?" she asked the blonde boy in genuine confusion, bewildered by her friend's sudden strange behavior.

"Come on" he said with unease in his voice, pulling at the girl's arm to follow him as they all slowly began to walk away. "W-We should get out of here…" he suggested slowly.

"Huh? Why? Toho-kun, what's the matter?"

"Baka, just shut up and come on!" the other boy, obviously Yuse, snapped at her, helping to get her moving along by pushing her away while the other boy, Toho, pulled.

"O-Okay!" the girl finally agreed, shocked by her friends sudden, very strange behavior and urgency. "I-I guess I'll see ya later! Bye Ichigo-san!" the girl called as she finally disappeared with the rest of her friends.

Ichigo sighed as she watched her go. She knew full well that if the other girl's friends could help it and actually had a say in the matter, then she'd never be seeing that Mariko girl ever again. Ever since she came to District 1 most had given her a wide berth, even the adults.

D:

"_Well, I guess it's not that unusual_…" she thought as she stared off into the distance for a few minutes before finally leaping out of the tree, landing on the ground with a soft thud before heading in the direction of the village. She was hungry and if she remembered correctly, she probably had enough money to buy a small snack, maybe even a whole loaf of bread if she was lucky.

xxxx

_(3 days later…)_

D:

People parted like the Red Sea for Moses as Ichigo walked down the dirt road, faces filled with apprehension and even fear as the 9-year old passed them by, some even going so far as to run away.

"_Why are they scared of me? It's always been like this. Since as far as I can remember, everyone has always avoided me. I'm not sure why though_" she thought with her trademark frown on her face. "_I haven't done anything to them._"

Eventually she stopped, sandaled-feet having brought her to a local bread store she commonly shopped at, the only place that sold things cheap enough for an orphan to buy with what little money they could gather on their own. "_Is it my orange hair? Nah, I've seen a few with the same colour as mine and they fit in just fine. Maybe it's because of that scowl I always have on my face. Is it that? Or is it because I'm not from around here? A stranger from the outer districts that carries a sword everywhere she goes. I guess that's it._"

It hadn't long since Ichigo died and was sent to the Soul Society. It's a place where everybody here had died. They're all spirits, given a second chance of sorts, though none of them could remember what their lives were like before arriving here. That was something that had bothered Ichigo ever since she got there.

Also, it may have been a coincidence but more people had been distancing themselves her ever since she had those weird dreams.

D:

She walked up to the counter, digging in her pockets as she pulled out a small cloth bag, opening it to pull out several bronze coins before pointing at a loaf of bread.

"Here you go, kid" the man sitting behind the counter said, trading the loaf of bread for the coins as she proceeded to walk out of the store. The man rudely dumped the coins just a centimeter short of her open hand causing the orangette to 'Tch' in irritation before leaving off in a huff.

Is this how they treat paying customers around here? Just because she was a child doesn't mean he had the right to disrespect her!

The Soul Society is mostly made up of 320 Districts than as Rukongai. It's not the heaven most had imagined, far from it really. But it could be worse. A lot had seen worse, far beyond the 1st District she settled in a week ago.

"_I'm just lucky I was able to make it to one of the districts closest to Seireitei_" at the thought her eyes drifted over to the huge white walls that lay in the center of Rukongai and its 320 districts. The farther you get from those huge walls, the more dangerous and lawless it gets. The less likely you are to survive. That was where Ichigo ended up and fought tooth and nail to get here. She had to grow up fast because no one was there to protect her.

As her mind began to wander elsewhere, a sudden round of noise drew her attention to the center of the large, dirt road, a small group of four men and a woman walking down the street, unbothered despite the loads of attention, mainly angry, vindictive glares, they were getting. Clad in basically the same black uniform, with only one of them; a short boy that was probably only two or three years older than her with messy, snow-white hair and wearing a white haori, the girl snorted in detest as she recognized the group almost immediately and took a bite out of her bread.

D:

"_Shinigami. They live within the walls of Seireitei and usually only come out to either drink themselves silly or hunt down Hollows that snuck into the Soul Society. At least that's what I heard. I think some of them have families living in Rukongai, so they probably come out to visit as well._"

Her thoughts were once again interrupted as a fight suddenly broke out between one of the Shinigami, a tall man with strange tattoos and long, red hair pulled up into a ponytail that made him look like a pineapple and a drunk bystander that had probably said something to piss the man off.

"What? You want to say that again you dumbass?!" the redhead hollered loudly, tone challenging as he got in the other man's face without any hesitation.

Ichigo couldn't help but sigh when she realized that the direction she intended to go was the same as where the fight was about to break out. She blinked as her worries were abated when the white-haired kid intervened, eyes glaring at the back of the older man's head in silent warning as he motioned for the group to continue onwards and to ignore the abrasive idiot that had tried to pick a fight he had no chance of winning in the first place. The redhead huffed slightly; looking almost mutinous but otherwise did as instructed, continuing to walk with the group as told.

"What? You think you're better than me?!" the arrogant drunkard yelled out, trying to rile one of them up and coax them into attacking him. When none of them acknowledged his jibe, the man; bulky and almost as hairy as a gorilla, growled in irritation. "Well?"

XD

Again, the man went ignored, none of the Shinigami even turning or pausing slightly to show that they had even heard the man as they walked past Ichigo and continued on. Eye now twitching and fairly close to popping a blood vessel, the man charged at them, fist cocked high in what would be a very sloppy, very poor punch to the back of the head.

"I'll show you!" he called out in anger, fist about to descend on the red man's head, only for the man's eyes to widen in shock as he found himself tripping over Ichigo who had accidently bumped into him. Though this mishap may have saved him a more humiliating defeat by the hands of a much more skilled and experienced opponent.

All of the Shinigami turned back, except the boy. They hadn't expected it when the man landed face first on the ground with a heavy thud. One of the older men in the group, a guy with short, spiky black hair and the number 69 tattooed onto his left cheek, looked towards the commoners, staring at what happened, though his expression dropped from his face as he turned to talk to the white-haired boy.

"Hitsugaya-taicho…" the boy known as Hitsugaya gave him a look that said 'it's time to leave, now'.

He was cut off as the bulky man suddenly stood up, immediately turning to lash out at Ichigo for having tripped him earlier.

"You little brat! Watch where you're going!" the man yelled in anger, immediately reaching out and grabbed her.

"Why don't YOU watch where you're going, fatso?!" she snapped back, as wriggled out of her grip. "Ewww! You reek of booze!"

D:

The enormous man tried to lash out at her when one of the Shinigami grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"You know that's not very nice" the Shinigami, a man with pale blonde hair, stated; tone warning and serious as he easily held off the bigger man's and pushing the brute back. He stared down at the man. "She's just a kid."

He went unheard though as the flush-faced man got his bearings, glaring death at him as his fist curled into a tight fist.

"First the brat gets in my way and now the Shinigami scum is looking down on me" the brute stated with a sneer, as he slowly circled around the Shinigami. The blonde man barely moved an inch from his position; seemingly to keep at least one eye on Ichigo herself as while keeping an eye on his opponent as well. "What does it matter to you anyways? She's just some nameless kid off the streets. Nothin' important."

"That maybe so but that doesn't mean that we'll just sit back and watch while you attack her" the blonde man answered; expression unchanging from its seriousness.

Suddenly and without warning...

"Ichi-chan!" the orange-haired, 9-year old blinked for a few seconds as she recognised that voice.

"Mariko?"

The little bruntte was so fixed on talking to her again that she brushed past the annoyed drunk. The bulky man growled, seeming to lung for the newcomer in an attack of pure and raw strength to satisfy his frustration.

D:

But the attack never hit. A flash of orange shot forward, suddenly taking ahold of the man's arm in a surprisingly strong grip. The redhead gave the fool a death glare sending shivers down his spine.

Exerting more energy than what may have been expected, she only paused for a second before delivering a powerful punch. The force created a shockwave that sent the man cartwheeling over Mariko's head, the man's eyes widening in shock as he suddenly found himself lying on his back and in pain on the other end of the street.

"I can't stand drunk idiots" she commented darkly, as she proceeded to brush the imaginary dust particles from her hands, her arms falling limply to her sides as her whole form appeared to relax once again. "For a big guy you sure are light" Ichigo said as she bent down. "But I've beaten up bigger jerks than you."

"I-Ichigo...?"

It was when hearing Mariko's voice in awe brought her mind back to reality.

She stood back up to notice the stunned silence and shock as she turned to face the crowd of witnesses to the scene. If the masses were afraid of her before, then now they were downright terrified. The Shinigami were also surprised, though the red ponytail also looked amused as well.

Not wanting this kind of attention, Ichigo gritted her teeth before running off without another word to anyone, taking off in the direction of the wall before suddenly turning down an alleyway and disappearing. She missed however, when the blonde-haired man's eyes seemed to widen at something just as she disappeared.

"Um... Guys?" the gloomy guy started. "Is it me or did the amount of reiatsu in the air plummet?"

"Yeah" the red man responsed, for once sounding serious. "I noticed, too."

He was about to go after the little hell raiser before a small hand grabbed his sleeve. "Its fine, Renji" he said, his usual serious voice. "I will take care of this."

xxxx

_(That night…)_

_:D_

_Ichigo blinked as she forced herself to sit up; at first she thought she was still in the abandoned house she fell asleep in._ _But then she realized the wooden floor under her was made of glass, noticing this she immediately looked up with her sapphire orbs to appreciate a sea of endless dark sky dotted with twinkling stars and a giant full moon shining down directly above her. It made the glass shine elegantly. When the orangette saw a few clouds among the stars, she detected something odd._

_"Are the clouds going up?"_

_A landscape was of sideways skyscrapers and vertical black skies as far as the eye could see. It was bizarre but at the same time beautiful._

_"It's the same dream again" she thought. "W-Where… am I?"_

_"Ichigo" said girl's eyes widen as she heard a voice echoed. The sound of her name being called, Ichigo turned around, surprised gaze landing on the figure of a middle-aged man clad in black, had ragged hair and yellow sunglasses reflecting the sunlight that was keeping his eyes hidden._

"_W-Wha-What's going on?!" the child asked, fearfully._ "_W-Who are you?!"_

"_What an odd question. There is nobody in the world who should know me better than you after all" he said, somehow standing on a flagpole sideways. "But then again, this is our first time meeting that you can remember."_

_:D_

"_We've met before?" the little redhead, blinked in confusion. "Just who are you?"_ _Ichigo forced herself to say, the man was silent for a few seconds before he opened in mouth to answer._

"_My name is… ********" he finished, leaving the strawberry just as bewildered as before._

"_What? I can't hear you! What are you saying?!" this response caused the old man to sigh._

"_Hm… You are still unable to hear my voice completely" he spoke, as he walked away. "Hopefully you will hear my name soon, Ichigo" he stated seriously before he left._

"_Hey, wait!_ _What are you talking about?" Suddenly the jungle of metal and glass began fading, the twilight turning into a black abyss of nothingness. _

_"Wait a minute-!"_

xxxx

:D

"As I thought" Ichigo's eyes opened to the sight of turquoise eyes and pure white hair. Letting out a yelp, the 9-year old almost jumping out of her skin as her brain finally caught up to the fact that there was a stranger in her house. It took her brain only a few seconds longer to realize that she remembered seeing this boy in town. "_He's one of those Shinigami guys from this afternoon…_"

"This is worse than I thought" the captain voiced, in concern. The girl's brow twitched as her mind registered the fact that the Shinigami from earlier today was currently in her house, as if it was completely normal thing to pop in uninvited and without prior warning at somebody else's home.

The sounding of his voice perplexed and unnerved her by whatever he was talking about. The boy's eyes drifted towards katana next to her and picked it, much to the redhead's chagrin. "Hey! What are you doing?! Put that down!"

Ignoring the girl's continuing protests as though she didn't exist, the Death God unsheathed the blade and studied it with narrowed eyes. Other than its rather large size, the katana looked pretty ordinary with a purple hilt and oval guard with no noticeable distinguished features. But the trained soldier knew there was more to it than meets the eye. "_There's no mistaking it. This is definitely a-_"

"Give it back!"

"Oof!"

The reaper's thoughts were cut off when the orangette decided to jump him. Latching onto him like a koala to a eucalyptus tree, Ichigo comically tried to get her sword away from the boy in black.

XD

"What are doing?!" he asked, in annoyance. "Unhand me, you brat!"

"No! Not until you gimme back my sword, baka-yaro!" she retorted, with an angry face-fault.

"Just let me go, kid!" the boy bared his fangs. "You don't know what you are dealing with!"

"Who do you think you are threatening me, punk?!" she demanded. "Are you a thief? You better not be or you're gonna get it!"

The kids struggled towards the doorway and out of the house, both throwing insults at each other. It was only until they made their way into the middle of the street that the Shinigami got a decent grip on the little hell-raiser and threw her off.

"What the heck are you doing here any-?" before she could finish she was cut short, the boy locked his cold gaze with her and caused her to fall completely silent, freezing in place.

"Where did you get this Zanpakuto?" he demanded for answer. She shifted a bit under his voice before bringing up the courage to answer.

"I-I'm not sure, really but I didn't steal it that's what you're-" she stopped for a moment, with a couple a question marks appearing. "Wait a minute. What's a Zanpakuto?"

"It's a weapon used only by Shinigami" he answered. "At least it should be."

"Well, I didn't know that until you told me just now" she defended.

:D

The taicho studied the fiery redhead, who wasn't much shorter than him. This was District 1 but he could she wasn't from around here. Her dark blue eyes told of innocence about her but had also experience true battle. Less noticeable were a couple of healed bruises on her cheeks, hands and limbs, suggesting numerous fights in the past. He'd bet his haori she could use her sword to at least defend herself against lowly thugs.

Sick of him staring at her, she asked the question he never answered. "Why are you here?"

"You should get that reiatsu of yours under control, you know" the boy suddenly stated, motion with his head to where a small family lay sleeping in their futon, next-door to her house. "At the way things are going, you may wind up making all the neighbours disappear."

Ichigo's eyes widened as she looked in the direction of the sleeping denizens in their homes, horror coming upon her face as she finally noticed the large, fearsome shadow that resembled a grinning, bull-horned monster. It seemed to slowly be devouring them.

"You-You mean I did that" she whispered in disbelief.

D:

"I'm going to tell you the same thing a friend of mine told me a long time ago: You should become a Shinigami."

"Huh?"

"You don't want to kill everyone around you, right?" this time he spoke in a softer tone, still looking pretty serious, despite his age. "The best way to prevent that is to join the Shino Academy and become a Shinigami. Luckily, for you the new year starts in 3 days." Suddenly he walked forward, digging into his sleeve as he pulled out some sort of bracelet. "Until then, this should keep your reiatsu under control for now but it won't supress it forever" he said, not even giving the 9-year old a chance to object as he placed it around her wrist.

"Why would I join the Shinigami?" Ichigo finally managed to get out without getting interrupted, struggling to keep her voice down, as she glared at the Death God. "I heard some things about you guys when I travelled and to be frank, they don't paint a pretty picture of you lot. I don't want be feared and hated."

The white-haired boy snorted slightly before replying. "You don't want to accidently kill everyone around you, do you? Besides" he suddenly tapped her forehead with his index finger, applying only a small amount of pressure as he pushed her back slightly. "You can hear it, can't you? A voice that refuses to leave you alone, right? Find that voice and you'll learn how to control those unruly powers of yours. The best and quickest way to do that is to join the Shino Academy, don't worry. You'll still be able to see any friends you have in Rukon" the albino hedgehog said, with a surprising small smile on his face as he stood back.

:D

Ichigo sat there stock still now, not even saying a word as she stared at him in wonder and amazement. At her expression, he looked dryly at her as he gave her back her Zanpakuto. This child had _so_ much to learn.

"Food for thought, it's you choice what you do in the end. When a child is strong like you are, they need to learn how to control their powers" the white-haired boy said, drawing her out of her shocked silence.

"H-How did you…?"

"I can just tell. I used to be like you. A kid with too much power and not enough knowledge on how to control it. Take my advice as one who's been through it, join the academy, it'll save you a lot of trouble in the end" he turned away to leave, before looking back. "Oh and by the way. My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya the Captain of the 10th Division."

With that final statement, the little Shinigami left disappearing in a large burst of speed that kicked up a small breeze and caused Ichigo's hair to whip around her slightly before finally settling down again.

"Toshiro… Hitsugaya."

* * *

**_So what do you guys think? If you're wondering why Ichigo has blue eyes in this story well its because in this version its a trademark of the Shiba Clan members, not cannon but why not?_**

**_Question for this Chapter: Should I have Kaien survive the hollow attack in this story? Shall I stick to cannon story where he dies or go crazy and write about how his presence will make a difference and how he interacts with Ichigo? _**

**_I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading! Review, follow and favourite this shit!_**


	2. Episode 2: The Induction

_**Hey guys! Since so far you guys like the idea, Kaien will be alive in this story and there will be signicant changes from cannon, especially with Rukia and Ganju for obvious reasons. Guess I'll have to use my imagination cap to make it great.**_

MayaTheSoulReaper**:** _**Thank you, for the first review.**_

Athena Krinya**: _I try my best to prevent as many grammer and spelling misdtakes as I can, glad somebody noticed. I think after writing my previous stories I've gained experience. I didn't think calling both Renji and Ichigo redheads would cause any problems and I don't think its anything to be worried about._**

Dianne060807**: _I love stories that have Ichigo go to the Soul Society young, too. Especially, genderbend ones, unfortunately they aren't very common._**

Princess of Miracles**:** _**Hitsugaya will have a role in Ichigo's life, as for when and how I've yet to decide but it will be in the forseeable future.**_

Danizinhachan**:** **_For the pairings I've been thinking Fem!IchigoxToshiro but I'm open to other ideas. As for our favourite strawberry being adopted... I'll take it under consideration, its a very good idea._**

* * *

**Episode 2 - The Induction**

* * *

_(3 days later…)_

:D

"Damn it! I am so late!" Ichigo cried, as she slips on her best kimono. She barely had any sleep since meeting that Death God that night and slept in. This would be her first day at the Shino Academy. She had contemplated for this day for a while in the hut she lived alone in, thinking about her choice: To join the Shinigami or stay in Rukongai. Now, she was going to be late.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid" she berated to herself, running across a bridge over a small stream. She was so focused on not getting late that she almost didn't notice the Shinigami that was signing up the new students at the Seireitei's Western Gate. "Yes, I'm not late" she said more to herself in relief.

The little girl wearily walked towards the huge hulk of a man that stood guard there. She didn't really know what to say. She had thought long and hard about whether or not I should follow the Captain's advice and become a Shinigami but the child hadn't thought about what she'd do once she actually made the decision. As it was, the redhead stood nervously, wondering if maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

"Hello there. What can I do for you, young lady?" the giant asked; his voice surprisingly gentle and polite. "My name is Ikkanzaka Jidanbo the Western Gatekeeper" he introduced.

"Um… I…" her throat closed in sudden fear. What would this guy do to if he didn't like what she had to say? Ichigo had beaten many in street fights including full-grown men but this guy was truly a giant and trained soldier at that. She did not wanna mess with him. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo" she finally drew out, hearing the Gatekeeper muttering about it being a cute name. "I'm from Uramachi and I was told by one of the Shinigami that I should apply to the Academy to become a student."

D:

"Is that so?" the big man said and peered down at me. Ichigo was painfully aware of how little she was compared to most but the 100 meter tall man made her feel like an ant standing underneath an approaching shoe. She didn't like it one bit. "What was the name of the Shinigami that talked to you?"

His name? She stood puzzled. He did tell her, she just had to remember, it right on the tip of her tongue.

"It was some guy named Toshiro, I think" she said, as soon as she remembered. "He was about my size, wore a haori with messy, white hair and cold blue eyes…" she described, along with some hand gestures to help explain.

The giant continued to watch Ichigo as she started fidgeting nervously. The little one nearly jumped out of my skin when Jidanbo spoke. "Ah! You mean Captain Hitsugaya! He told me to expect you."

She watched in disbelief as the behemoth suddenly disappeared into thin air and wondered how it was physically possible for him to move so fast.

She didn't have to wait for long.

"The doors to the Shino Academy will open shortly" the man answered in a mild-mannered tone when he reappeared, making her jump. "Please, wait patiently."

XD

The girl nodded and set the bag holding her meagre belongings down on the floor. She took this time to regain her breath from running so hard.

"By the way, you said you were from Uramachi, right?" Ichigo paused, with eyes widening in distress at that name from the giant. "That's an uncivilized area, isn't it?" gulping Ichigo nodded, hoping he'd let it go. 'Uncivilised' is one word to describe it. The giant known as Jidanbo folded his arms and smiled. "Listen up, this city has rules. First, wash your hands when you come back home. Second, don't eat food that has fallen on the ground. Third, duels are nothing else but one-on-one. You'll remember that, right little one?"

At first Ichigo wasn't sure how to respond. This 30 ft. giant sounded like he'd fit in a children's TV show teaching kids half her age how to count better than working in a military. Deciding not to make a big deal out of it, the orangette agreed.

"Very well" Jidanbo said. "Welcome to Seireitei," he said as the door opened.

"Thanks" the outsider replied, as she walked through, propelled forward by her large sword.

The outsider looked back to Junrinan and saw that a couple of people were standing on the perimeter watching the exchange, in which she returned an emotionless stare. They were probably hoping that the giant man would crush the kid with one of his big hands. She was sure they'd like to see the village pariah gone for good. She turned her back on them and settled for staring at the white wall, until the small door inside the gate opened fully.

All Ichigo knew about Seireitei had come from overhearing Academy students that lived in Rukon and they made it out to be this wonderful, magical place full of good people. She let out a sigh, knowing too well the realities of the world so she didn't really believe their interpretation of the Seireitei as a Utopia.

:D

But if the boy who gave her that bracelet and the gentle giant standing before her was any indication, there were at least some good people there that can be nice to you.

With a look of determination, she took a first steps into centre of the Soul Society... and her first step into becoming a Shinigami.

xxxx

_(Inside, the gate…)_

:D

The 9-year old walked over to the Shinigami so she could get her name signed on the clipboard that he had in his hands. The Shinigami had neat blue hair, it was definitely dyed and a large scar that went all the way across his face and brown eyes.

"Name" was all the Shinigami simply said.

"Kurosaki Ichigo" answered the strawberry, having steeled her nerves.

"Well Kurosaki, you're a lucky girl. We only had enough space for one more name, your name apparently" said the blue-haired Shinigami.

"Thanks" said Ichigo, her heart skipping a beat.

"No problem" smiled the man. "Now get in the line before we leave you." Ichigo couldn't tell he was joking or not but decided to listen anyway and left with her trademark scowl. She wasn't used to having to either do as he was told or get punished it. Ever since she ended up in _that_ stupid District she couldn't resist fighting when someone was being hostile towards her. But she also learned it wasn't really the strongest that survived nor was it the smartest. It was those who were the most adaptable to change.

:D

"_Well, here I am_" she thought to herself.

xxxx

_(In the courtyard...)_

:D

The line was bigger than he thought, about 20 of them that were older than her, all with rather low reiatsu. "_No one from the outer districts, maybe I'll get lucky meet people who aren't prejudiced_" Ichigo thought to herself.

She didn't know anyone here, which was too bad. She secretly wished she could've come here with a friend so it'd be more entraining and not at all awkward. Oh well, guess she just had to make new friends.

The walk to campus was about an hour long, surprisingly because of how far away it was. Ichigo couldn't help but feel nervous… or was it excitement. She didn't really know. The strawberry girl had never felt this way in a long time, not since she joined a gang of thieves in the outer districts where she learned how to steal, fight and heard stories about the Shinigami. Either way she hadn't felt this way in a long time.

Truth be told, she didn't know where the exam area was. "_Guess I'll have to look for it the old fashioned way_."

"Hello there, I'm Moto Leon" said a blonde boy appearing to be in his mid-teens, with a big smile on his face. He put out his hand offering Ichigo a hand shake. The guy named Leon noticed the little girl had a lost look on her face and that no one was with her so he decided to come over and introduce himself. "You okay? You seem a bit lost."

"Yeah, I can't make heads or tails of this place" Ichigo shook his hand with a smaller one and introduced herself. "The name's Kurosaki Ichigo" she greeted, with a plain face as they started walking.

"Exciting, huh" Leon said, trying to start a conversation. "This exam is the first step to becoming a real Shinigami!"

"Yeah I can hardly contain myself" Ichigo exclaimed, now showing her own excitement. Seeing the smile on the cute orangette's face Izuru smile grew even bigger, he took that as a sigh that their conversation was going well.

D:

"So what district are you from? I'm from District 5 of West Rukongai: Heionbuji" he stated.

The little girl thought for a moment before answering. "District 80 of West Rukongai: Uramachi" Ichigo replied, casually as if no big deal.

The boy's green eyes widen in surprise at hearing that name. "Oh, r-re-really! I'm sorry I brought it up, kiddo" he said, with an apologetic look on his face.

The orange-haired lass blinked at him before shrugging. "Don't worry about it it's no big deal, just a stupid district" Ichigo said, with a smile. "Plus, I've probably had a lot better luck than most people."

"Oh, ah okay" Leon scratched his head, feeling a bit weird. "_Who is this kid? She said she's from one of the worst districts in Rukon! It doesn't look like she's lying either. How can she talk about such a horrible place like it was no big deal?_" the blonde thought to himself. "_Or maybe it's not as bad as people say_" his thoughts are interrupted when a girl around his age with long blonde hair and brown eyes bumped into him.

"Oh sorry, I didn't see you there" she said, picking herself up she put her hands on her hips. "You shouldn't wonder off. It took me forever to find you and you know how worried I get."

"Oh don't worry. It's okay, sis" said Leon, hooking a thumb to the 9-year old next to him. "I was just helping Ichigo here, she's lost, too."

"Oh hi there, I see you've met my little brother. I'm Moto Selina" she greeted looking down at her, holding out her caring hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hey, I'm Kurosaki Ichigo" she responded, in a casual tone.

:D

Then they hear aloud voice made from a Kido spell. "_Will all new applicants please report outside the front entrance to the academy campus immediately, thank you._"

"Whoa! Was that one of those Kido spells that sends messages?!" Selina exclaimed. "I never knew you could do that, did you?" she asked the younger pair.

"I haven't" Leon replied, still in disbelief.

"Neither have I" Ichigo shrugged.

"Cool, I can't wait to learn it" she said, excitedly.

"Hey, you guys wouldn't happen to know where the front door to this school is?" she decided to ask.

"Well, I certainly do" Selina said with confidence. The siblings smiled at her and the brother bent down and pulled her along.

"Come, we're going there, too!" he laughed, picking up speed. "We'll get there faster if we run." Ichigo blushed not sure what to make of their unusually kind nature. Was everyone from District 5 this nice?

They headed for the Shinigami Academy, excited looks on their faces, wondering what was in store for them next.

xxxx

_(At the front entrance...)_

:D

_"All applicants form two separate lines and we will give call out your name."_

When they came there they all were surprised, there was so many that wanted to enter, they decided to split up the girls and boys so Ichigo and Selina in one line and Leon in another, wishing the girls luck. The academy was a building that was set apart from the others with a sign out front said 'Administration'.

"God I'm so nervous" Selina muttered, looking at the crowd. The Spiritual Arts Academy was a sprawling, multiple story building with architecture similar to that of other structures in the Seireitei.

"Don't be" Ichigo said. "It'll be okay, we'll get in."

The older girl looked at her now little bit reassured. "Yeah, we will" she smiled, looking at all the people that got called in.

The entrance exam seemed to be open to any and all who wish to apply, resulting in a wide range of individuals of all ages joining from little kids to senior citizens. The social classes of the applicants range from nobles and residents of the more hospitable districts of Rukongai to its more barbaric outer regions.

They waited for a while until it was their turn "Kurosaki, Ichigo" one teacher screamed loudly, indicating that it was our hero's turn to take the test.

"HAI" she replied back, hearing her name and walked up with the others that got called in by other with the 'K's at the same time.

:D

"Good luck, Ichigo" the Moto girl called out, as she started to walk off to her exam.

"Thanks, you too!"

The 9-year old eventually got to where the teacher was standing. "Alright, please follow me" the teacher said politely, leading them to where she'd be tested.

xxxx

_(In, the testing room…)_

D:

It was a pretty large room but that's not what made it stand out. It was the fact that all the teachers for the future 1st year students and the Headmaster himself were all siting on chairs behind a long table by one of the large walls. That made the small child a bit nervous as she walked in through the door.

"_Deep breaths Ichigo you can do this_" she thought to herself, doing just that.

Ichigo was ushered inside by the man in the middle, the headmaster. He was a tall, balding, stern man with grey hair met us. He looked regal and his immaculate clothing gave the impression that this man was of high status. The teachers looked down their noses at the small girl in front of them, most where stoical but some were bothered by her presence as if the berry girl was some kind of gnat.

"Greetings, Kurosaki. My name is Gengoro Onabara is the headmaster of the Shino Academy" he explained. "I and my colleagues will administer your entrance exam."

Ichigo nodded in understanding. The educators noticed she didn't bow respectfully to them and hid their annoyance. Her attitude needed work on.

"We have heard about you from Hitsugaya-taicho and several Lieutenants" an elderly woman said, as Kurosaki straightened up.

A younger man next to Onabara glared at her, his voice like nails on a chalkboard. "They seem to think that you have potential but we will be the judge that. Brats from Rukongai don't always have what it takes, no matter who they've convinced into believing in them."

D:

Ichigo gritted her teeth and frowned at the man with piercing blue eyes. She was used to this type of prejudice even though she grew up around it but it still got on her nerves. She ran into a few nice people in the Seireitei so far that I'd hoped people here were all like that. "_I should have known better._"

The orangette was directed to a machine set up in front of them. One of the Shinigami waited with some sort of scanner in his hand.

"Okay, Kurosaki Ichigo, just stand here" the Shinigami, said before moving the machine around what Ichigo assumed must be her reiatsu. "Hold your hand out" said the teacher, to which the berry complied.

The machine made a noise and the Shinigami looked at the screen, which must have shown some sort of reading that he recorded. Ichigo saw the Shinigami's eyes widen in surprise but a second later his eyes returned to normal.

"_How can a girl this young have such vast Reriyoku?_" he thought silently, before facing the kid. "Kurosaki, you have enough reiatsu to pass the first test" he told calmly.

"Yes! …Wait, 'first test'?"

"Indeed, now you must take a written test."

XD

Ichigo tensed at this. She had never had to write in Rukongai since ever and her stomach did a little flip flop at the thought that this, too, as well as getting the questions right on the test. Most Rukongai brats, as the snob had put it, were illiterate.

The orange girl sat down in the chair provided and placed her hands in her lap to hide their shaking. They were already sweaty and the test hadn't even started yet.

One of the younger educators quickly gave her the papers and pencil. She explained to her where to write her name, the time limit and what wasn't acceptable. It seemed pretty straightforward to her.

"Alright Kurosaki Ichigo, you may begin the 2nd test of your exam."

xxxx

(_30 minutes later_…)

D:

"Your time is up! Please put your pencil and move your test papers away from you."

Ichigo handed over her papers with a raging headache. The exam had been a blur to her and had no idea as to how I did. The questions ranged in topics from mathematics to etiquette and the strawberry felt woefully undereducated and stupid right about now since she pretty much guessed at most of the questions.

"Now, for part one to your 3rd test, first you will demonstrate any Kido that you know" said the instructor, with a large beard.

"Sorry sir but I don't know any Kido" Ichigo said, a bit embarrassed.

"That is fine. Yoshida will demonstrate for you" said Onabara.

Just her luck it was younger one who had a problem with commoners. It looked like he really didn't want to do it.

"Very well, then. I will show you one of the most basic Kido techniques, Hado No. 4 and then you will have repeat" Yoshida explained, in a serious tone. "Are we clear?"

"Yep, got it" Ichigo replied nonchalantly, to the man's irritation.

The instructor walked to the back of the room pulls out several targets and set them against the wall. Then he walked back besides the small child.

D:

"Okay, now pay attention" while saying the incantation, Yoshida hoped he wouldn't have to show her again. "**Hado No. 4: Byakurai**."

A huge blue lightning bolt erupts from both his hands and hits right in the middle of the target. He then turned to Ichigo. "Your turn" he said, as he stood aside. "Just concentrate and try not to get frustrated if it doesn't work the first go, you'll get five attempts" he told, seeing the anxious look on the lass's face.

Ichigo closed her and concentrated. Getting into the stance demonstrated, she then recited the incantation. "**Hado No. 4**…" she said, slowly. "**Byakurai!**"

A massive bolt of blue lightning twice as big erupted from her palms and hit the target dead centre, annihilating it.

"Woo hoo! I did it!" the orange kid cheered. She was so happy that when she did the next four times and hit the targets she realised something.

"_Dang it! I forgot to say that chant!_" Ichigo mentally slapped herself for that. The instructors on the other hand were surprised and impressed by her skill. Most students couldn't even fire it on their first try.

XD

The next test was a simple sprint from one side of the room to the next and back again, whiling being timed on a stop watch. The Hoho trial was the simplest by far.

The following was the Hakuda test which involved her hitting an Anti-Hollow Training Machine… a basic punching bag. Clearly, those eggheads at the Research Department weren't even trying anymore.

The teachers looked at her with surprise and admiration at her karate techniques. "_They seem impressed_" Ichigo thought, unable to remember where she learned her fighting style in the first place. "_I just hope that I pass the last test_." With a final punch, the sandbag split open, spilling its context on the ground.

After a moment of awe, a new silly-looking sand bag took the place of the demolished one.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. You now must take the last part of the combat test: Zanjutsu" explained Onabara. "Begin when you are ready."

The strawberry picked up a wooden sword and got in into a battle stance. She felt a bit stupid bopping an inanimate object for a minute but guessed there was more to it that since they were taking notes.

xxxx

_(10 minutes latter…)_

D:

"Since we are done with all of the physical tests now we will now finish up with some personal questions" Onabara explained. "What is your full name?"

"Um, It's Kurosaki Ichigo" the berry girl responded, flatly. She thought it was a stupid question since they already knew her name.

"How old are you in human years?"

"Nine" Ichigo told, honestly.

"For what reason do you fight?"

"Is it okay if I have more than one answer for that question?" Ichigo asked, curiously.

"Yes, just don't make them too long" replied Yoshida, impatiently.

"Okay, my first answer would be to protect those I care about and my second one…" Ichigo looked straight at them with a serious look in her sapphire jewels. "…is to win of course."

"I see" noted the elderly woman.

"Next question, what district are you from?"

D:

The 9-year old looked hesitantly but answered the question, nevertheless. "District 80 of West Rukongai: Uramachi, sir."

"Do you have any family?"

"None that I am aware of sir, I… pass on" Ichigo replied sadly.

"Oh, what happened?" said a younger female examiner, who was apparently the only one who had taken interest in her answer.

"I don't know" Ichigo simply said. "I just woke up one day in a war-torn village in some backwater district and found out I was dead, not remembering anything about who I was apart from my name and that I had a family."

"I see. I am sorry to hear that" the black-haired woman said.

"Nah, it's okay. You weren't to know" replied Ichigo, putting on a fake smile.

"Next question, what is a Hollow?"

"A Hollow is a lost soul that didn't get the help of a Shinigami in time and is bound to wonder the earth with sorrow and despair" Ichigo responded. "A spirit can also turn into a Hollow when its soul chain brakes."

D:

"Very good. Now final question, have you ever seen or faced a hollow before?"

"I've seen one but I've never fought one before" answered Ichigo, quickly.

"Good, you are dismissed" Onabara announced. "Wait outside Ichigo for your schedule."

With that said Ichigo nodded and exited out the door and went back to the courtyard with the other applicants.

xxxx

_(Outside…)_

:D

Ichigo stood outside waiting tensely for her results along with many others.

"Hey! Ichigo!" it was Leon and Selina screaming, she just looked at them smiling. She was happy to see some familiar faces.

"Oh hey guys. Did it go well for you all?" she asked.

"I kinda messed up at Kido" Leon chuckled. If you didn't believe his word for it, you could believe his scorched hair and clothes. "There was a lot of information to take in at once."

"It went well for me I guess" the sister said. "But I wasn't really that good at that Hakuda. What about you kiddo, how'd you do?" she asked, inquisitively.

She smirked. "Well, I bet I aced it" she chuckled. "I think I did best in that swordsmanship."

The two all patted her on her head, much to her annoyance. "Maybe you're a Genius" the brother joked.

Ichigo didn't like that word, the only reason she was so good at everything was because she had be to survive. Truthfully, she found it pretty intimidating and would've been convinced that she had failed it had she not seen the judges' expressions.

xxxx

_(Teachers' Corner…)_

:D

"Wait a minute" the elderly female teacher said. "Look at this girl's tests."

They all went up to look at it; they were surprised to see the results. "No way!" a younger woman exclaimed. "Her reiatsu is almost captain level already!"

The teachers decided to show it to the Head Teacher and even he was surprised. "You are right" he agreed. "I haven't seen scores that high since I taught Captain Ichimaru at the academy" noted Onabara.

"This girl might be a prodigy!"

Ichigo had reiatsu at the same level of at least an exceptional Lieutenant. The only problem was that she had little control over it. The basic class certainly couldn't help her. "She should go to the advanced class right away" the headmaster decided. They all nodded.

"_This girl will make a fine Shinigami_" he thought to himself and let the teachers go. "_This could be an interesting year._"

* * *

_**What do you think? I hope Ichi wasn't too OOC but since she's growing up with a different past her characters gonna be a bit different. **_

_**For those who don't know there are four District 80s with Zaraki being in the North and Uramachi (the one I just made up) in the West, the same reigion as where the Ryoka first invaded from. Also in case you were wondering Uramachi means 'Back Alley' describing what a terrible place it is and Heionbuji means 'Tranquillity and Peace' describing how much nicer it is.**_

_**Well see ya later, losers. The next chapter will up when its ready. XP**_


	3. Chapter 3: Friends & Foes

_**Hi guys!**_

Danizinhachan: **_I have already decided which Division Ichigo is going to be in, if you want to know you're just gonna have to wait and find out *laughs evilly*. Since you were wondering she will age normally until after the 17 month timeskip so she's look about 15-16 by the Ryoka invasion._**

Shade Sparda: _**I'm glad to hear that thanks! :D**_

suri. mawarne: **_Renji? I hadn't really thought of using him much outside of cannon, since he never really was one of my favourite characters. If you have any ideas how I'm welcome to it._**

Princess of Miracles: _***Rubs neck sheepishly*** **Erm, sorry... But there will some good nobles... eventually.**_

Yemi Hikari: _**Yes, I am aware that the Shibas have aqua/green eyes, the blue eyed thing was just something I made up. Btw Bleach wiki is my main source of information for** **consistency.**_

Dianne060807: **_I've planned for about 4-5 chapters maybe less for her time at the Academy. Its mostly develop her character and show her natural talent which will be noticed by the Gotei 13. She will meet Kaien sometime during her school days._**

Teddypro: _**That's an interesting idea but unfortunately I've already decided which Division she's gonna be in and it isn't the 1st. To be honset I don't think she would get far in that Division de to her age and being the Head Captain, Yamamoto will be too managing the other duties to have much time to train. Well that's my opinion at least but I still think that's a good story idea.**_

* * *

**Episode 3 - Friends &amp; Foes**

* * *

_(3 hours later_…)

D:

"_Prejudice is the same no matter what your social status is._"

Ichigo wished those old geezers had told her how it'd take to finish marking the results. Was she waiting for approval to stay and enter the academy or was she waiting for dismissal? The strawberry didn't know what to do if the Shinigami wouldn't take her on. She couldn't go back home to Junrinan… not when there was still a chance that she could kill all the citizens with this reiatsu that Hitsugaya had told her about. "_I could go back to living in solitude like I did before_" the thought of that hurt because she didn't want to go back to being alone.

Leon was kind enough to give the girls some crackers to eat but Ichigo was so nervous that the poor girl hadn't been able to eat much of it.

"_What if I didn't pass the exam? I hadn't had any formal schooling in Junrinan so I really just guessed at those multi-choice questions. I remembered how to read and write but I can't remember ever attending a classroom in my life. What if I'm too stupid to get into the academy?_"

The redhead got up and paced around the room in an effort to work off some of the nervous energy coursing through her body. She was only broken out of this fretting when a blue-haired teacher stepped onto the small stage in the front of them.

"Attention all applicants! Your test results are now ready!" he told them, in a booming voice.

D:

The stomachs of all the candidates did little flip-flops as they made way to him and Ichigo wished she hadn't eaten that cracker.

"I will now call out the names of all the students who made it into the academy in order of highest to lowest grades" announced the teacher. He pulled out about four stapled papers and starts to call them out. "Number one: Kurosaki Ichigo."

"Wha-What?!" said cried in shock, not really enjoying the fact that she was the best out of all the newbies.

"Congrats Ichigo!" praised Selina, happy for her new friend.

"That's incredible!" commended Leon, who patted her on the back. "Who knew you were that good, kid."

"Nah, it-it's no big deal" murmured Ichigo, not liking all the fuss. They didn't look convinced. It seemed as if everyone was staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. She really didn't like all of the attention.

Ichigo immediately walked over to waiting bluette. He handed over the pieces of paper, the street girl glanced at it but all the numbers and graphs on it made little sense to her. The only thing that stood out was a big red stamp that red **'100%'**.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you have posted one of the highest scores on the entrance exam that we have seen in a long time. It is my pleasure to offer you admittance into the academy, starting tomorrow" he told, hiding his admiration.

:D

She looked at the calm man in disbelief and then glanced back at the crowd of students how were looking back in astonishment and envy. "I got accepted and with the highest score? I can't believe it" she whispered to herself.

"You will be placed in an advanced class for the brightest students. You will have a lot of expectations for you to work to now, so be prepared for a lot of extra work."

"Uh-huh, thanks" she nodded, still dumfounded.

Ichigo wasn't sure whether to jump for joy at having been admitted or cringe under the crowd's heavy gaze. She could their conversations about her ranging from "_How did that girl do so well?_" to "_How did that brat cheat?_"

A few minutes later, the Moto siblings had just gotback their results.

:D

The Moto siblings had just got the results back.

"What classes did you get in?" Ichigo asked. She was hoping at least one of them got in the same as her.

"We both got in Class 3#: The Standard Program" Selina replied. "What about you?"

Ichigo looked away "I got into Class 1#: The Accelerated Program" she said quietly but it was loud enough for the siblings to hear, judging from their shocked looks. "I need to leave now, we are meeting in the assembly later for our schedules" she decided to get away fast.

"Wow! Did you guys see that?!" Leon exclaimed. "Look how fast she can run!"

"Amazing it was almost like she teleported!" Lina said.

They all thought "_She is a genius_" as they looked on.

xxxx

_(Down, the corridor…)_

D:

"_Damn it why couldn't one of them get in the same class as me_" she thought, as she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. Hearing that she won't be in the same class brought back some memories. "_Why do I have to be this good? Why did end up in one of the worst districts where I no choice but to fight so hard?_"

However, in her inner turmoil, she hadn't been paying attention to where he was going and she bumped into someone hard. Ichigo lost her balance and they both went down.

"Watch where you're going, brat!" a male student yelled, as he picked himself up off the floor. He looked at the little girl and took note of her clothing. "What do we have here, another Rukon brat who thinks she has the right to join our academy? Go back to where you came from kid, this is no place for the likes of you" he smirked.

The anger from being looked down on by the teachers, being singled out as a genius and being separated from the Moto siblings earlier raged through her. The little redhead got up and took a few steps forward until she was right in the brown-haired punk's face, ignoring the fact that she had to stand on her tiptoes to look up at him.

"The likes of me?" she repeated, clearly offended. "What makes you think that you're any better than me?"

The student laughed. "Because I'm a noble, while you're just trash from the outside. That's what makes me better than you."

"Ah, so that means that you're here because your family got you in, not because you really deserve it" she countered, with a bored face.

XD

The student's stunned face flushed in anger and his dark eyes flashed dangerously. A part of her was screaming at herself to stop, just walk away and not make any trouble but most of her was angry at this treatment and didn't want to back down.

"You little worm" the student said. The prat came at me with a right hook but the fighter girl easily got underneath it and got out of the way, tripping him up with an outstretched leg.

"Is that all you got?" she tsked. "Guess you're just a lot of hot air."

Though unintentionally, the class brawlers attracted a steadily growing crowd of students. Half were the other guy's side encouraging him to put the street rat in her place and other such nonsense. The other half was hoping that someone would stop this bully from causing harm to the little girl but were too afraid to do it themselves. Ichigo stood as tall as she could, with hands in fists raised in front of her, waiting for him to get up. The girl from Uramachi wasn't going to hit first, not unless it became absolutely necessary but she wasn't going to back down either.

"Damn you!" he growled. "I am of nobility! Where are your manners, girl? I demand respect from commoners!"

"Hmph!" the strawberry rolled her eyes, waving his insults off with her hand. "Hate to break to you, buddy but the terms 'nobility', 'manners' and 'commoners' don't exist from where I'm from. Never needed them. So they really mean nothing to me."

XD

"Is that so? Then allow me to teach you!" The student came at her again, much quicker than before. He seemed to disappear for a moment and reappeared in front of her, much to her surprise, before she could defend herself. He caught Kurosaki by the shoulders and threw her only to flip in mid-air and land on my feet, to the astonishment of the crowd. The student charged again but this time Ichigo was able to follow his movements. He crouched low; ready to sweep her legs out from under me but she jumped out of the way and avoided the sweep. But she wasn't quick enough to avoid the following kick that was only to be caught by someone else.

"Hey! Leave her alone you jerk!" Ichigo couldn't believe her eyes when she saw Leon the goofy blonde-haired boy put himself between her and the bully.

The student hissed about something along the lines of "_more peasants_" came at Ichigo's defender but a roaring voice stopped him before his fist connected with the newcomer's face.

"Enough!"

The crowd of students parted to let the blue-haired teacher from the entrance and Selina through. The man was fuming and I got to my feet, panting with adrenaline. Whatever the man had to say to me, she'd take it silently.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Oji-san" the headmaster said, facing the student that Ichigo had been fighting with. "You're a 3rd year student and you felt the need to get in a fight in the hallways with a child? You're old enough to know better than that!"

:D

The student glared daggers at Ichigo and Leon a silent message saying _'this isn't over'_, before he turned his attention to the headmaster. He bowed deeply. "I apologize, headmaster. I don't know what came over me, it won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't" the sensei said. "The rest of you, get out of here. Don't you have anything better to do?"

The group scattered quickly and the student that I had been fighting with gave me one last glare that promised "_This is not over_" before he left.

"Um, thanks teach."

"You're welcome, child" he said, passively. "Just try to avoid any more scuffles with the more rowdy students." The headmaster also left without another word.

"Making new friends already, Ichigo-san?" Leon joked, trying to lighten the mood. "You looked pretty upset so I decided to come after you up but I lost you in the crowd. It wasn't hard to find you with your reiatsu going so crazy. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine" she lied. The truth was that the girl's knees and hands were aching and was still edgy from the scuffle even though she hid this rather well from them.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" Selina asked.

D:

"People everywhere are prejudiced both around here and the outer districts" she simply said and left it at that. They didn't need to know anything else.

Her two new friends didn't push the issue, much to her relief. "By the way, why did you help me out back there?" she asked, curiously. "I'm ungrateful its just something most people wouldn't do for a stranger."

Leon blinked dummy for a moment, before rubbing his neck sheepishly. "I dunno but that's just the way we are: helping people we don't even know. I feel like everyone deserves to have a friend."

Selina rubbed her cheek, shrugging softly. "Our motto is this: strangers are friends you just haven't met yet. We got it off our mom" the blonde girl said, smiling softly at her wise words. Ichigo opened her mouth to retort, probably something along the lines of it being naive. Yet, she opened her mouth only to have the words not follow.

_"Friend?" _the strawberry thought softly to herself, feeling her mind stop to process this thought. She turned away for a moment, her eyes blank of all emotion. She thought about the word. Ally. Comrade. Companion. But friend? To call someone a friend was to trust them. Enjoy their company. To laugh. To play. To joke. To live.

"Friend..." she murmured to herself, almost disbelieving she heard that word. From a boy and a girl who he had just met, no less.

The older kids' eyebrows raised."What?"

:D

"Your mom..." Ichigo immediately said, waving her hand down to collect her thoughts. The orangette fumbled with her hands, shutting her eyes tight. The toe of her sandle making small circles on the ground. She let out a calm filled sigh. "... she sounds sweet."

"She's the best" Leon stated, cracking a real smile to Ichigo. The little girl nodded as the walked back to the assembly hall.

It wasn't just word friend that got to her. It held the value of love, security and comfort. _"Mom."_ That one little word gave her feel warm thinking about it... but at the same time empty and she had no idea why.

Walking through the wide doors, the trio walked into the assembly hall they were told they had to be. In the room, there were easily a few hundred people. All of them wanting to succeed and wanting to become a Shinigami. Suddenly, someone who Ichigo remembered was the headmaster, but forgot his name, walked to the high stage.

"Welcome new students to Shino Academy" the headmaster spoke to the point of yelling, over the general chatter of the room. With that, the entire room went absolutely silent. "Today, you are gathered here to become Shinigami! You are now part of a proud tradition. A unique school dedicated to raising future protectors for the Gotei 13, Onmitsukido and Kido Corps to preserve the Soul Society from evil and defend the Human World from Hollows! Apply yourself diligently to your studies and uphold the hour of our academy."

At this stage, Ichigo was starting to stop paying attention. She was about to zoned out, until she saw the principal look on with extra seriousness. "Remember: Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect... slice the enemy you must defeat from behind. That is our commandment, take it to heart."

D:

He let those words sink in before continuing.

"As you leave the room, you will all be given an Asauchi. Please keep this sword with you at all times, as it will become your partner for your stay at the Academy!"

With the opening speech over, the pupils started filing out of the hall, collecting their Asauchi on the way. As for Ichigo, she walked to the exit, ignoring the man giving out the swords.

"Huh? Ichigo, why aren't you gonna get your Zanpakuto?"

"Don't worry I've already got one" she smirked, pointing to the sword on her back. With that said, the berry girl left heading off to find the room she had been assigned to.

"_You've got potential kid. I can see that already_" Selina thought, to herself.

xxxx

_(30 minutes…)_

:D

_"Okay students, form a line depending on the first letter of your first name and we will give you a paper with your name and room number and. We will also give you a key for your dorm room and the one shares the same number as you will be your roommate for the foreseeable future. You may now get in your lines."_

Ichigo looked at the paper once more to make sure she read it right. "_Room 15D. Ps. Students please make sure to pick up your uniforms at the cafeteria_."

The orangette had been searching forever for her room with no luck, until finally she saw a door that said 15D. "About time" she muttered, impatiently. "I was about to give up." She began to open the door. "Who will I be sharing a room with? I hope it's someone who I can get along wi-"

Ichigo's musing was interrupted by a rather unexpected surprise. The door. She had been hit face first by a force from the other side and was now sporting a very red and sore nose.

"Gah! Damn it!" she yelled out, in pain. Suddenly, a burst of jovial laughter emanated from the room. "Okay wise guy! Don't even start! Why the hell do I have to put up with someone who...!" yelled Ichigo, as she burst into the room. However, as soon as she opened the door to lay it in her soon-to-be-dead roommate she recognised that face. "Mariko?!"

"Huh? Ichigo-san! You're here, too!" the brown-haired girl cried in surprise, hugging her. "Are you my roomie? That's totally super! How've you been? Did you miss me? You wanna be a Shinigami, too? Do-Ah!"

"Slow down you talk too fast!" she chastised, grabbing her lips. When it finally appearance the brunette had calmed down. "Looks like we are roommates..." Ichigo replied, slightly happy that he was sharing a room with someone she knew... well sort of.

XD

The room was medium-sized and plainly decorated with nothing on the walls. It had a bunk bed on one side of the wall, two dressers on another with an old bookshelf and on the last wall two closets. You could tell the top bunk had already been claimed by Mariko from the way the bottom was made while the tops blankets were practically falling off of it.

"Not bad" said Ichigo remembering, where she was used to live. The orphan used to live in houses that were rotting away more each day; the last one had holes all over the place but was still better than shanties in the outer districts she squatted in. It barely even had a roof. But the worst moment was when she had to sleep outside in the winter cold while in District 79.

"_So this will be my home for the next 6 years_."

At that moment, the young girl vowed to herself that once she became a Shinigami she would do something about the districts living conditions. But for now that could wait.

Dumping her Asauchi onto the floor bed, Ichigo sat down on the bed next the older girl.

"So" Ichigo said, trying to break the ice. "It looks like we're sharing rooms. We might as well start getting used to each other."

"Okay then" Mariko replied, cheerfully.

"Well first" Ichigo continued, before putting on an angry face-fault. "What the hell was that gag with the door, huh!?" she outraged, to the older girl's amusement.

XD

After taking a few minutes to calm down, Ichigo settled down and started talking with Mariko and hearing stories about the Junrinan girl's life. Both girls were enjoying each other's company and continued talking.

"_It's because of me that Toho and the others abandoned her. They didn't like that she suddenly started talking good things about me, the village pariah, so they stopped hanging out with her and refused to even acknowledge that she exists now. But despite that, she's really nice and continues to stick up for me, she even treats me like a little sister. Even if we're only half a year apart in age._"

"Oh didn't you get the highest grades in the entrance exam?" the older girl chatted.

Ichigo just looked away. "Oh, yeah I did."

Cherri noticed her unhappy tone clear as day. "What's wrong, aren't you happy about it?" she asked, with concern. "Most people would be over the moon."

"I'm not saying I'm upset about its just that I don't know how to deal with this" she was hoping not many would know her results but she was wrong. She was now convinced that Cherri would get jealous of her high grades and eventually grow to despise her like those noble prats.

"Wow, you are so weird" Cherri laughed, making the berry face-fault in irritation.

Ichigo couldn't tell if she was simply in the academy just to screw with her. Though, she couldn't help but feel it was her fault that her friends had ditched her and thought this was her pay back to her.

:D

"Oh, just so you know, Toho-kun and the others weren't just mad at me because of you" this bit of information caught the orphan's attention. "Yeah, they said I was an idiot because I wouldn't believe all the mean things that they were saying about you" Cherri explained, before putting on a sad face. "The final straw was when I told them I wanted to become a Shinigami to help people" she said, suddenly looking at her with meaningful eyes, grabbing hold of her by the shoulders and shaking her slightly. "Ichigo. How do you do it?"

"Huh?" she spoke, in surprise to her unusual seriousness. "What do you mean?"

"How could you just stay there and do nothing while all those people spread such nasty rumours about you?!" she told, with concern. "They're calling you the Oni of Uramachi down in the village! They think you're a cold, unfeeling murderer and you just go about every single day like it means absolutely nothing! How?"

Ichigo blinked; stunned slightly at the information she'd just been given. "_So that's what they've been saying about me…_" she thought as her eyes wandered to the open window next to them, staring up at the evening sky, painted with an almost shell shocking mix of reds, oranges and obnoxiously bright but beautiful yellows.

Sighing, Ichigo gently removed Mariko's hands from her personage, locking gazes with the girl for a few moments, before finally sighing again. She still couldn't believe that the far-fetched rumour had actually stuck around, especially when there hadn't been anything to actually lead to it in the first place.

"Its fine, Cherri" the berry girl reassured, "They're just rumours. Nothing more, nothing less. They don't make me who I am" Ichigo explained, placing her own hands in her lap as she her gaze shifted back towards the sky, having dropped it down to meet the others gaze. "Besides, I really don't care what a bunch of strangers think of me. If I did, I wouldn't be here in this school."

D:

At some point Cherri had fallen very quiet, staring at the floor far for a question moment. Suddenly, she looked up more chipper than before, happy she had gotten an answer. "Hey, do you wanna go eat?"

Ichigo was gonna refuse but her stomach had other ideas and she blushed. "E-er, yeah okay" came out, meekly.

Cherri smiled and pulled Ichigo with her out of room and eventually walked off of campus. It was at this point the girls got a good look at how huge Shinigami Academy was. It was a huge complex and they saw many students of all years going about their business as they walked through the courtyard, it made the redhead feel small and trivial compared to it.

Everyone else seemed so much older than Ichigo and, for the first time, wondered if maybe that despite getting the highest score she was too young for this. "_Should I have waited?_"

xxxx

_(At, some random café…)_

:D

Even after making it to the café, the way there people was whispering things like "_Ain't that the Tensai girl from the entrance exam?_" and "_She is so young_". They made it to a restaurant Cherri just found near the school but to Ichigo's dismay they weren't alone.

"You don't have to listen to them" Cherri said, looking at an uneasy Ichigo. "You said so yourself, they can say what they want but you know yourself. You know what's true and what isn't."  
Ichigo just looked at her surprised. "Yeah" she said. "It's true but I don't wanna be called a Tensai or Tensaiji or whatever."

"You don't mind being called a demon but you're bothered by being called a genius, huh" Cherri laughed playfully and went back to business of eating dinner.

Ichigo looked from her lap to Mariko and back again. The orangette debated whether she should keep her mouth shut and let the doe-eyed girl continue eating her dumplings but the fact was that she was confused about Cherri's personality and still didn't understand why this girl who didn't even know her was willing to associate with the social outcast. What could she possibly want in return?

"Why? Why are you treating me like I'm normal" she finally asked. "What makes me so special? Why would you care? Why are you even willing to talk to me?"

The blue-eyed girl thought said more than she probably should have and waited for the rebuke to come. It didn't. Instead, the brunette looked sympathetically at her.

"You're not used to people being nice to you, are you?"

D:

Ichigo was left stunned by her answer. When was the last time someone was nice to her simply because they wanted to? How long since she first met this happy-go-lucky girl? Normally, at this point Ichigo would deny this and walk off in a huff but now... she couldn't explain it. "Yeah, you've got me there..."

"Life's easier when you've got friends, Ichigo" Cherri smiled. "And from what I've heard we Shinigami live a very, very long time."

xxxx

_(Back to their room...)_

:D

After Cherri and Ichigo had eaten their fill; they went back to the room. Finally tired, Ichigo lay down in the bed and in her pink PJ's. It didn't take long for Cherri to succumb to dream land's sweet embrace.

The youthful innocence in Cherri's sleeping face was apparent, the baby cheeks she still had, the messy brown hair. Ichigo felt a little bit better.

If someone like Mariko Cherri, a typical bubbly girl, can get into Class 1 (albeit barely scraping the spot) let alone this school, maybe it wasn't a mistake for her to be here. Sure, there were some that'd wish she'd vanaish there were a few that were willing to give her a chance.

"_This is it. There is no turning back now. Whatever happens, my path has been chosen_" she thought, as the berry drifted off.

A small smile broke out on the orange-haired girl's face as her brain began to shut down. She decided that she would handle this new life like she handled everything else: with hard work and determination. Ichigo ultimately chose to become a Shinigami and she was going to become the damn best one she could be. This was a fresh start for her.

No more stealing, no more street fighting and no more sadness.

* * *

_**What do you think? Next we'll see Ichi's first day at the Academy as a student. See ya next chap!**_


End file.
